Sheet-metal box



F. WESTERBECK.

SHEET METAL BOX.

APPLICATION man JUNE 27. 1919.

Patented Nov. 29, 1921.

INVENTOR. E. h esfif' m ms urommm. I

SHEET-METAL BOX.

Application filed June 27, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK WESTER- -I3ECK, a citizen of the United States of America, a resident of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet- Metal Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to sheet metal boxes or other rectangular sheet metal vessels, but more particularly to sheet metal boxes made of thin sheet metal, hence liable to damage under ordinary usage. Heretofore it has been the common practice in making boxes of this description to form the seams, connecting the pieces of sheet metal entering into the boxes, at the corners of the box bodies, and the corners are the most vulnerable points at which injury may occur, ow-

ing to the sharp angles presented thereby;

My invention has for its object the produc tion of a rectangular sheet metal box in which the seams in the box body are located in the box walls between the corners of the box,and in which the corners are seamless, so that, although damage may occur at the corners of the box body the danger of opening up the seams connectingthepieces of sheet metal is eliminated.

Figure I is a perspective ofa sheet metal box constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. II is a top plan view of the box body, partly broken out and partly in section.

Fig. III is an enlarged perspective of one of the upper corners of the box body.

In the accompanying drawings A designates the body of my box and B the lid or cover, the lid being of any preferred form or construction and being secured to the box body in any suitable manner.

The box body includes a bottom C surmounted by wall sections I). Said wall sections are made from sheets of sheet metal bent to form seamless corners (Z, and the edges of said sheets are joined intermediate of the corners of the box body by scams 6 which may be of any suitable description. The wall sections D are preferably of U- shaped form so that their meeting edges, at which the seams 6 occur, lie between the corners at two sides of the box body, as seen in Fig. II. Y

By constructing the box body with the Specification of Letters Patent. Patented New. 29, 1921..

Serial No. 307,166. I

seams between the corners, I eliminate the presence of seams at any of the corners of the box and locate the necessary seams in the sides of the box body which are susceptible of yielding under strain.

In sheet metal box structures containing seams at their corners, the corners present the most rigid and non-yielding portions of the boxes, and being angular, are more likely to be dented by striking other objects with which they contact, and when dented the seams are opened up, causing an irreparable damage for the reason that the seams at the corners cannot, after being dented, be returned to initial condition. By locating the seams intermediate of the corners, I dispose said seams in the yieldable sheet metal walls, which give readily under strain to obviate rupture of the seams, and moreover, if the seams should be broken, the portions of the box walls containing them may be returned to their original positions and the injury to the seams repaired.

I For the purpose of reinforcing and strengthening my box body, both at the location of the seams between the corners and at the seamless corners, I provide a stiffening structure at the top of the box body which extends continuously within the upper margin of the body and therefore spans the side seams between the corners and also the seamless corners. The upper ends of the wall sections D are bent inwardly to form inturned webs E, and the sheet metal extending beyond said webs is curled into pockets F within which is disposed a continuous stiffener G, preferably of wire. This stiffener reinforces the entire upper end of the box body, being firmly held throughout the top of the body and extending across the seams e to reinforce them.

While I have shown and described the body ofmy box as composed of two sections of sheet metal from which the walls of the body are formed, it is obvious that any desired number of sections of sheet metal may be used in forming the walls of the box, it

rality of sheets of metal bent to form seamlesscorners, said sheets of metal being joined by seams located between the corners of the box body, and reinforcing means for the upper end of said box body comprising a web extending inwardly from the upper marginal edge of each sheet, said web having a depending curl extending downwardly from the inner edge of the web and thence 10 upwardly and outwardly so as to provide a stiffener-rod-reeeiving tubular portion in teriorly of the web, an open space being left between said depending curl and said upper marginal edge so as to permit fiexure of said upper marginal edge, and a continuous stiffener rod in said tubular portion and spanning said seams.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto affix my signature.

FREDERICK WESTERBECK. 

